Moonlight Sonata
by Daenerys Malfoy
Summary: S/K. No one ever said life after Naraku would be easy, but Kagome is beginning to learn just how hard it will be and she will soon find that her role in history is far from over.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!**_

_**AN: I will say this now, in the manga, Sesshomaru's mother is **__quite_** alive, and I will be using this. She won't be…exactly the same however, so if you never got that far in the manga, no worries all you really need to know is that she **_**is**_** alive. =D**

**Title: **_Moonlight Sonata_

**Author: Daenerys Malfoy**

**Rating: T for now, M Later.**

**Summary: **Naraku is dead and her friends have moved on with their lives and families. However, the stillness of Kagome's life is about to break with the dawn of a new horizon. Together with her lover, she will help shape the Sengoku Jidai and secure a future unmarked by a great Darkness. S/K.

**An: **_Though the story starts slow, believe me it _**will **_pick up! _

* * *

**Chapter One**

_Curiousness of Man_

**-I-**

**-SK-**

They were a curious paradox, this species called _human_. Content to live in the squalor created for them by their fellow beings, they were a parasitic leech to the land they depended on to survive. Sesshomaru, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, did not like the species and was quite content to write them off as a waste, a _virus_, if you will, to his lands.

Of course, he was not a man of _hasty _generalizations. No, he was not so naïve or ignorant as to believe that the _whole_ of the human race should be written off. He had, rather unwillingly, ran into humans who were…exemplary, if you will; humans who could possibly foreshadow the heights to which their race could go. Unfortunately, they were rare and too few and far between for Sesshomaru to hold out much hope.

To be fair, however, he was not too fond of his own race (and he used _that_ possessive pronoun quite loosely). The amount of youkai that he actually liked had become so few that he was considering writing off his entire species as a waste of air as well.

Fortunately, Naraku had been disposed of leaving one less blight to his lands.

Unfortunately, his mother was reappearing. If there was one thing he hated more than Naraku and useless humans, it was meddling mothers.

With a sigh most uncharacteristic, Sesshomaru turned away from the fully bloomed, _night _blooming moon flowers, eyes tracing the noon-day sun. _She is most desperate if she thinks calling for me will hurry my steps._

**-SK-**

Kagome Higurashi sat on the lip of the old well, blue eyes downcast and glazed. It had been two years, to the day, since she had last jumped through the innocuous looking structure, and while there were days when she felt small pangs of homesickness, she did not regret her decision one bit.

Of course, it helped that her family understood, thus easing the ache she'd felt about deciding to stay in the past rather than return to the future. _But really Kagome, what future would you have had? That would have been a horrible way to live, always looking to the past…_ A sigh escaped her dainty lips as she traced the hard stone of the wells rim. She had traced their names here, on this edge so very long ago.

Mama. Souta. Grandpa.

Her hand stopped, stilling as if frozen. There were of course more names stitched here, and in the innocence of her youth, she had once made a daring claim to the future, forever writ in stone.

_Inuyasha and Kagome forever._

One kiss and she'd gone running to the well like a fool, quickly etching her childish dreams into the stone.

If the stone could speak she could imagine what it would say, in a voice ripe with age and the knowledge of having seen many such loves fade and dissolve.

_Nothing lasts forever, silly girl. Love especially_.

The wind picked up, bringing with it the sounds of Kaede's Village, though now that the old woman had passed the villagers had taken to calling it Kagome's Village.

Kagome shivered, pulling the thick fabric of her haori closer. The white material bunched together, closing tightly about her figure.

"Kagome! Kagome!"

Smiling, Kagome stood and wiped all traces of sadness from her face. It would not do, after all, to let Shippo see her sad.

"Here, Shippo!" She called. At the ripe age of 20, Kagome's voice had finally lost that high-pitched edge of childishness and settled into a soft, melodious timbre that, to her ears, seemed only somewhat jaded.

Shippo came bounding into the clearing, green eyes bright with laughter and happiness. A smile found its way to Kagome's face. How could it not, really. Her one reason, it seemed, for staying had been Shippos happiness, and as long as she could accomplish that there was nothing else that she needed.

He gripped her into a firm hug, head now reaching the middle of her stomach.

"Sango's in labor!"

Kagome's smile widened and she quickly took off.

"It's going to be a boy!" Shippo said with a conspirators whisper. Though she knew the answer, she also knew that Shippo wanted her to ask the question.

"How do you know that, Shippo?"

Shippo puffed out his small chest, eyes widening in what he assumed was maturity. "Because Kagome, I'm a youkai and I just _know_ these things."

Kagome hid a smile, instead nodding seriously. "Well that explains everything then, doesn't it?"

Shippo nodded.

Nearing the village, Kagome could hear Sango's yelling and Miroku's pitiful moaning.

"When I left, Sango had Miroku's arm in a _death grip_!" Shippo exclaimed excitedly.

Kagome chuckled even as she sped up. They broke the tree line and stepped into the frenzied activity of Kaede's Village.

"Lady Kagome! She's at home and needs you!"

"Thank you Meiko." Kagome said, smiling at the middle aged woman kindly. She arrived at Sango and Miroku's hut in time to see Miroku thrown against the wall with inhuman force. Or rather, the force of an angry pregnant woman going through labor pains.

"Sango, we've discussed this," Kagome said with a gentle smile as she released Shippo's hand and eased into a kneeling position before the pained woman.

"Breathe, Sango."

The beautiful taijiya glared at Kagome with all the force she could muster in her current state (which was a lot it would seem). Kagome only smiled back serenely, breathing in the way she'd once showed Sango.

"Breathe with me Sango."

"I can't! This – damn it Kagome! When you're lying here with a baby on the way I'll tell _you_ to try and focus on your breathing!"

_Well I don't think I'll be in your position any time soon,_ Kagome thought to herself, though she kept up her mask of calm serenity.

"Lady Kagome," Miroku whispered from his position on the floor. "How is she?"

Kagome turned a soft smile on the sprawled monk, "she'll be fine Miroku. You know how strong Sango is. This is her second child anyway, so the process will probably be quicker."

Miroku nodded, eyeing Sango a bit fearfully.

"I'm not done with you monk!" Sango shouted black hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. "You did this to me you bastard!"

Miroku edged away from the angry taijiya, eyeing the exit hopefully.

"If you could bring me a bowl of warm water that would be wonderful Miroku," Kagome said, smirking slightly in the harried monk's direction. The sigh of relief that escaped Miroku's mouth was not lost on either women and Kagome couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her as Sango's boot went flying in the fleeing monk's direction.

"Shippo, why don't you go help Miroku."

Shippo groaned though he did leave the hut.

"Now, Sango," Kagome continue with a soft smile. "Breathe."

**-SK-**

Four hours later, Kagome stepped out of the hut and into the setting sun, arms bloody and slimy but with a content smile on her face.

Grabbing a spare haori and pair of hakamas, the tired miko headed off towards the nearby hot springs, herbal leaves in hand.

"Kagome!"

Once, her name on his lips would have made her shiver, now it only made her immeasurably tired.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" Without turning, she knew that he was standing behind her, with _Kikyo_ standing behind him.

"How is she?"

Despite herself, she smiled and turned to face him. "Sango is doing great, another boy whom they've named Taki."

Inuyasha grimaced, though there was a smile in his dark golden eyes.

"_Another _little brat? Man…like they need another boy."

Kagome grinned, though she could see Kikyo eyeing her. Her chocolate brown eyes, so wise and dark, did not smile and did not glare. They simply were. Just as Kikyo herself was. Kagome sighed. She had seen the stoic miko filled with passion, however, and love. And though she herself could not feel it to the full, she was happy that the couple had been given a second chance.

"It's what they both want." She said. At Inuyasha's, and to a lesser degree Kikyo's, expressions of confusion, Kagome clarified with a small smile. "A family. They both want a family. And with the way things are going, a big one."

Inuyasha blushed, rubbing at the back of his head with a small frown.

"Yea, about that. Uhm…do you think – would – could you…Kikyo's pregnant!"

Kagome's smile froze, her heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched all in the space of a second. Blue eyes snapped to chocolate brown, brown eyes filled with rare happiness and some apprehension.

"Oh…"Kagome breathed, the word coming out with a forceful exhalation of breath. "I see. And you want me to…help her give birth?"

Kikyo stepped forward before Inuyasha could, turning to give him a small smile. "Inuyasha, may I speak to Kagome alone for a moment?"

Inuyasha nodded, still blushing and walked away in swish of fire-red and silver.

Kikyo began walking, and Kagome followed. This was the first time they'd been alone together since her return to this plane of living and Kagome couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension. She eyed the other woman, taking in the traditional white and red haori and hakamas. The straight, ebony hair pulled back into a low ponytail and the elegant high cheekbones. They could have been mistaken for twins, or very close sisters.

Kagome eyed her own white haori and dark blue hakamas. Her hair, straighter than it had been but still curly at the ends fell about her freely in the wake of her helping deliver Sango's child.

Sisters indeed.

"Kagome," Kikyo's voice still had that wise, somber quality, though there was a sense of freeness in it now. "We have never been close, you and I, and I know that you once had feelings for Inuyasha…" She paused, eyeing the small hot springs with a small smile.

"Though I do not know your feelings for me, I can say that I have developed utmost respect for you." Kikyo turned to face her, face serious and pleading all at once. "You have saved my life on more than one occasion and for that I am indebted to you. I must, however, ask you one more favor. Please help me through this pregnancy. There is none other that I trust…"

Kagome smiled without hesitancy as she nodded, "Of course I will Kikyo. Inuyasha, and _you_, are like family to me. Though we've had our…_rough_ spots," Kagome grimaced, "It would be an honor to help you birth your child."

Kikyo smiled, a small soft smile and turned to leave. "Thank you Kagome. Enjoy your bath."

Kagome nodded, though the former miko could not see it, and set aside her things. She erected a simple, but powerful barrier that kept unwanted visitors away and sighed.

As she slid into the inviting water, she could not help looking up into the full moon. The bright silver orb hung like a beautiful pendant in the sky, glowing with all the purity and innocence she had once known.

_Everyone has moved on, _she thought, eyes still trained to the moon. _Even me. But while they begin their own families, Shippo and I watch from the outside it would seem. When will it be time to start my own family, with my own love…_

Relaxing in the springs, eyeing the full moon, Kagome's eyes drifted close. Just before she fell into a light doze, however, she could not help thinking that the moon was somehow winking at her, hanging as it was like a pendant in the sky.

**-SK-**

"Sesshomaru-sama, where are we going today?"

Rin trailed behind her Lord faithfully, the twelve year old girl smiling beautifully into the full sun. Sesshomaru ignored the question, choosing instead to glare at the large structure slowly appearing before them.

"Quiet Rin," Jaken softly commanded, also looking at the slowly forming hut. Though really, it was larger than any hut Jaken had seen.

"The Lady has returned?" He muttered quietly to himself. Sesshomaru turned a glare on the green youkai, and with a look of absolute long-suffering, calmly made his way towards the opulent home.

Rin eyed the two curiously, pulling lightly on Jaken's robe sleeve.

"What's going on Master Jaken?"

Jaken turned large, bulbous eyes on the small girl who was steadily growing larger by the day it would seem.

"That, Rin, is one of the many homes of Lord Sesshomaru's mother. The Lady Yue."

Rin's mouth dropped into an adorable looking 'o' of surprise. "Lord Sesshomaru's mother is still…alive? Why doesn't she live with Lord Sesshomaru?"

Jaken smirked, as best he could with his little beak and began following his Lord.

"The Lady Yue is…temperamental at best Rin. Best to stay quiet."

Following, Rin nodded obediently. It was always best to listen to Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru. Always.

**-SK-**

Sesshomaru eyed his mother with a blank face. She looked much as she had when he was a child. Impossibly long white hair, luminescent lavender eyes, and a small upside crescent moon in the middle of her forehead.

"Mother," he drawled.

"Sesshomaru," her voice was the same as ever. Soft, ephemeral even. It floated on the currents of the wind and caressed his ears with all the motherly affection she could muster. This, all things considered, was a lot.

"Why have you come here?" He asked. He could sense Jaken and Rin slowly making their way behind him, and felt Rin cautiously grasp his pant leg.

She smiled, and Sesshomaru could see why his father first fell in love with her. Beautiful did not bring justice to the Lady Yue. When she smiled, it was enough to forget everything but _her_, even her habit of being rather…flighty.

"I wished to see my only Son, is that too much?" She frowned, anxious, and grabbed a bit of the silk robes she wore. The fabric shimmered, the hues of silver, blue and purple moving and rolling in a scene only she understood.

"Of course not," Sesshomaru replied, "if that were really why you were here. There is always more when it comes to you Mother."

She smiled again, temporary anxiety forgotten. He remembered that much about his mother. She was emotional, very emotional. One minute happy, the next sad.

"Come, sit. Introduce me to your charges." Unaccustomed to playing the hostess, his mother simply walked away and settled on one of the many pillows lying about. Sesshomaru gently pried Rin's fingers from his pants and gently pushed her to sit. Jaken waited until Sesshomaru himself had been sat, then took a seat next to Rin, watching the room with a small amount of suspicion.

"My Son, you are lonely?"

Sesshomaru, were he a lesser youkai, would have fallen from his pillow in shock. Instead he simply raised one elegant eyebrow and eyed his mother with cool gold eyes.

"Ah, nevermind Little One, you are much like your father was when we first met." She giggled, "All calm composure and seriousness."

Sesshomaru did not snort, though he did frown. His father, as he remembered, was a man of loud, boisterousness and unparalleled arrogance.

"You remember him as he was _after_ meeting me," The Lady Yue remarked, eyeing him with twinkling lavender eyes. She looked at the sun, a fond smile on her face. "My sister told me that he was the perfect man for me, I did not believe her until he smiled." She sighed, shifting idly on her silk pillow.

"Fun as this is Mother, you did not call me here to reminisce."

Her face fell, though it was soon replaced by a look so serious Sesshomaru focused his sole attention on the flighty woman.

"Sesshomaru, my heart, you are in danger."

"I am always in danger Mother,"

She smiled, "yes. But this danger is new. It is old. It's…a mistake."

She was speaking in riddles again, something she used to do from time to time.

"I…why have you not Mated, Son?"

"What?" So completely thrown was he, that his mouth was left hanging open in an undignified expression of surprise.

"Mated. You have found her, you know. Why do you not - "

"Enough." Sesshomaru snapped, claws lengthening dangerously. His mother merely blinked, eyeing his dangerously fluctuating aura curiously.

"Why do you reject her so?"

"This is not your place Mother."

"It is the _only_ place for me Sesshomaru!" She snapped.

He had only heard his mother raise her voice once, when he was a child and he had crushed a Moon Flower. It had left him shaking then and even now, it served to sap away his anger and leave him perturbed.

"You are my **Son**, Sesshomaru," her voice softened, "My heart. There…are things happening that – you should go to her. You are hurting, though you may not admit it, and so is she."

Sesshomaru did snort then. "I highly doubt that Mother."

"I see all Sesshomaru, and I have kept a close eye on your little mate."

Her eyes drifted close, and the pale blue crescent on her forehead glowed, "time is running short unfortunately, though there is never a time limit on love. Souls waste without it Sesshomaru, you should know this."

A growl escaped him before he was aware of it. He would _not_ be reminded of his father. Of his stepmother. Izayoi.

"You – you presume to tell me!?"

"I have made mistakes Sesshomaru, this I know. But I will not have you making the same. My time here is short and I am needed elsewhere. Just remember my heart, that she is always there for you, whether you will it or not."

Her eyes drifted to Rin, and a smile bloomed on the Lady Yue's face.

"Ah. You, little Rin , are a very special girl. Very special indeed."

"Goodbye Sesshomaru. I do love you Son, very much Little One." Without looking back she stood and walked away and into one of the many doors of her home.

Sesshomaru stood, stony faced and angry. _I will __not__ got to her. _

Of course, Sesshomaru had always found it hard to resist the pull, especially _her_ pull.

**-SK-**

Kagome sighed gently, fingers nimbly pulling at the various herbs littering the forest. Sapphire blue eyes glowed happily as she eyed the setting sun. There was something about the coming of night that soothed her, something about the approaching hour of the moon that filled her with a sense of serenity.

She hummed lightly to herself, straightening from her work to put the final medicinal herb in its basket. Work done, the young miko set the basket aside and picked up her bow. She had made it habit to practice her once terrible shot at least once a day, and it had paid off wonderfully.

Notching an arrow, Kagome quickly chose a tree some thirty feet away and aimed, a small knot somewhere directly above the middle of the tree, and pulled the string. Breathing deeply, she focused before releasing the bowstring and letting the arrow fly. It flew true, a small trail of light blue miko energy trailing behind it. Kagome watched with a small amount of satisfaction when the arrow slid home with a soft 'thunk'. The small amount of miko energy she'd infused the arrow with insured that the tree would heal from the small wound, and left the miko feeling content.

Several arrows later, twilight had fallen and the moon was steadily rising. Kagome turned from her practice shooting and bent, picking up her basket.

Standing, the young woman barely bit back a gasp of surprise at the sight that met her eyes.

Hair falling in a silvery curtain of perfection, clothing billowing only just right in the wind, stood Sesshomaru. The young miko couldn't help the fluttering of her heartbeat, or the rising of her pulse. Nor could she, much as she would have wished, control the twist in her soul, the powerful - near crippling - wave of longing that shook and gripped her very being.

Idly, she wondered if she were destined to live a life of unrequited love.

"Sesshomaru-sama," she muttered, bowing her head in respect. "I have not seen you in quite some time…are things well?"

She had learned long ago, that the best way to deal with Sesshomaru was with respect. Heart still racing, she tucked the basket more firmly in her hold and began walking towards the village. Sesshomaru fell into step beside her, silent as usual, eyes on the full moon.

"Rin requested that I tell you 'hello'." He muttered, the cool vibrations of his voice washing over her like water. She shivered, pulling her haori closer to her small body. _Inuyasha never affected me so…_

"Ah, and how is Rin?"

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, noting the slight uprising of his lips and the twitch of his eyebrow. To many, if not all, he would have looked completely indifferent. To Kagome, who had watched him for what felt like forever, she took it for what it was. The closest Sesshomaru would ever get to snorting.

"Flourishing." He finally remarked.

Kagome smiled softly, accepting the flat, monosyllabic response with a light heart. She could not clearly remember when they had began, but for nearly a year now, she and Sesshomaru would meet and talk.

It had started out quite unexpectedly, (really, it had been Rin's fault) but ever since their first encounter after Naraku's defeat, Sesshomaru randomly appeared, sometimes with Rin, most times without her.

Kagome had discovered, in their odd little sojourns, that contrary to popular belief, Sesshomaru _did _talk. Often times he would make an idle remark and from there the two would be lost in some philosophical conversation or another.

However, it was the silences Kagome enjoyed the most. Those rare moments when she could simply bask in his presence. His aura. She sighed, there was something about the youkai's aura that caressed her in a way completely foreign while at the same time utterly familiar.

"You are quiet tonight, Kagome."

"Sango gave birth today," she remarked, ignoring for the time being his observation. Sesshomaru eyed her carefully, saying nothing.

"Another little boy." She smiled wistfully, hands running along the bark of a passing tree. "He is very beautiful. Strong."

"The taijiya is a strong woman," Sesshomaru replied slowly. "As is the monk…relatively."

Kagome smiled up at him brightly. If somebody had told her a year ago, that Sesshomaru would be complimenting Miroku and Sango…well she would have probably laughed until her sides bled.

"Yes. You should have seen the way she threw Miroku into the wall…" Kagome chuckled softly, "I doubt he wants to go through that again anytime soon."

Kagome turned to the left, feet moving without her mental direction. They ended up in a clearing, a small area which had the full attention of the moon.

"I've never seen the moon so bright before." Kagome muttered, sapphire blue eyes drinking in the brilliancy of the luminescent pearl in the sky.

Sesshomaru frowned, eyes narrowing. "Indeed." He remarked before turning away.

"Kikyo is pregnant."

Were the situation different, Kagome would have laughed at the completely shocked look that crossed Sesshoumaru's face before he could hid it.

"Inuyasha is going to be father."

Sesshomaru's grunt of disgust _did_ cause Kagome to laugh, a small trickling sound that had Sesshomaru eyeing her oddly.

"What?" She self-consciously asked, hand automatically trailing to her face. _Do I have something on my face?_

"You do not laugh often." He replied softly, after what seemed to Kagome to be ages.

"I - " She paused, mouth closing on words that would not form. "I…" she tried again, and failed. What could she say? How could she tell him that she was lonely and hurting. That her heart ached for a love she could not be given? That she wanted, more than anything in this world, for him to hold her as if she were the only thing that mattered.

She settled for looking away, a small frown marring her beautiful features.

Sesshomaru turned away, eyes scanning the forest.

And though she could not prove it, Kagome almost swore that the moonlight dimmed. It's light turning, almost, away from their clearing…as if saddened by what it saw.

**-SK-**

Sesshomaru stood within the circle of his mother's gardens, eyes unfocused. Behind him, tall and imposing stood the Western Castle. A beautiful fortress and a stronghold, it teemed with life. Servants, ambassadors, soldiers and several lesser Lords all walked its grand halls.

The noise was grating. The stench of so many bodies unbearable.

Sesshomaru sighed, raising a hand to his temple. Powerful as he was, he could not fight a simple headache. At least, not this sort. Fighting his mate's call, especially since she was hurting, had become harder each day.

It was becoming harder to remember _why_ he was doing this in the first place.

More than anything, he longed to have her next to him, her aura soothing away the irritation of having so many people in his home. Her scent driving away the horrid stench of the perfumed lords and ladies.

But he would not risk it.

He was no fool. There were many who wanted his lands and his power. The Southern Lord had been hit especially hard by a drought, his lands resources drying up faster than he could blink. Tensions between humans and youkai had escalated, leaving his lands in the midst of a civil war. Apparently, the human lords were not as accepting of their demon overlord if he could not do his job properly.

Bringing Kagome to his side now would only bring her into danger. She, of all people, deserved a break from that.

Sesshomaru bristled, ears twitching as a pair of giggling Ladies passed, their voices grating against his eardrum.

He sighed when they passed out of earshot, their voices becoming muffled as they entered the castle.

The Northern Lords daughters. A pair of twins. Sesshomaru shook his head. Allies though they were, he would never grow to _like_ the boisterous wolf's daughters.

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

Rin appeared within his sanctuary, hair neatly pulled into an intricate bun. No matter how hard her governess tried to make the young adolescent look the part of a lady, there was still a wildness about Rin's eyes, a sort of a graceful freeness that could never be taken from her. Sesshomaru would not wish it to.

"Rin."

She smiled up at him, dimpled cheeks glowing in the sunlight. She would steal hearts with that smile, Sesshomaru thought, ensnare nations and tribes.

"Jaken bade me find you. The Lady of the East has arrived."

Sesshomaru nodded once, eyes moving about the enchanted garden. Even now, at the height of noon, the night blooming moon flowers lay open for him to see. Their beauty, and rarity a fragile remainder of his childhood.

However brief it had been.

Without looking back, Sesshomaru preceded Rin out of the garden, amber eyes hard as he reentered his domain.

There was much to be done, and Sesshomaru had all the time in the world to accomplish it.

**-SK-**

**AN: First chapter whoo! If you have questions, feel free to ask. **

**Please leave a review! It keeps me going!**


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